False Authority

In order to get to a position where Lee could claim such authority, he first had to slowly, but steadily get all the members to buy into his mythical "God uses one man at a time" theory.  Eventually, he portrayed himself as the "one man for this time", and thus figuratively inherited a kind of "deputy authority", as it was dubbed.  It was essential that Lee get his followers to fully imbibe this non-biblical practice of succession of leadership, rather then the shared, plural leadership and ministry exemplified in the New Testament.  Once his underlings (co-workers and elders) succumbed to this aberrational view of leadership, the members had no choice but to follow, and both saved Witness Lee the trouble of claiming any kind of authority directly, they gladly and boldly did this claiming for him.

UntoHim

Find out about true authority revealed in the Bible by reading Watchman Nee's, Spiritual Authority. I have read this book, and as I have heard around, I concur, it seems to be the best most spiritual work to date on the matter of spiritual authority in the Scriptures. Many groups use this book because of its authority, but they also misuse it. I am confident if Watchman Nee was alive today, he would feel as I do that Witness Lee had no authority in the church based on the principles in the Word of God about what true authority entails.

Troy Brooks